[AW; Between the Waystation and Raven's Wrest; Fieldmaster Co-Rank]

Fieldmaster: Maintain strong knowledge of Inferni's field areas (e.g., Drifter Bay, The Waste). Patrol and scout the border in the field areas. Maintain knowledge of prey animals, herd movements, etc. within the field areas.; 319 Words

Cartier was walking the borders in his Secui form. It was a daily task for him. It actually happened more than once daily. He completed a patrol in the morning and then another in the evening. This was one of those daylight trips around the borders. He was about done with his rounds as he had started out at the Caverns and had moved around the borders in a counter clockwise manner.

The young male wasn't looking forward to passing by Raven's Wrest even though he knew he had to do it in order to complete his circuit. This reluctance actually led to him lingering in the open space. He was still doing his job but he was only moving slower. The coyote stared out past the borders and sniffed at the air. He remained close to the stakes as he did his rounds.

He took in the tracks in the snow and the movements in the distance. His gaze flicked from the silhouette of one horse to another. Nothing seemed to be disturbing them and the tracks he spotted curbed away from Inferni. Everything looked to be calm out beyond the borders but still he made slow progress. It wasn't that he didn't like the ravens, just a certain raven.

He squinted against the glare of the sun on the snow. This was something someone with ill intentions could use to their advantage. Or at least that is what Cartier told himself so that he could stay in the area longer. He excused it as being vigilant and careful. He reasoned with himself that snow blindness was a just cause for making extra sure that there was nothing lurking just out beyond the borders rather than making the rest of his rounds in a timely manner. He was truly just delaying by being attacked by the mad, one eyed and mangy raven that he had deemed as Plagas.

Cartier Infernifideli certa merces

Inferni
DEAD

fireonthehillsidesinner

Kallistos was leaving Ravenswrest when he spotted Cartier. The day had been spent training and feeding the flock as he furthered his ambitions as one of the clan's falconers. It was a daily duty, he thought, especially since he someday wanted to find and bond with his own raven. First he felt he should understand them as a general species.

He wagged his tail loosely from one side to the other; every time he had met up with Cartier in the past, they had gotten along well. There was no reason to think that this latest event would be any different. So why not go over and spend some time?

A couple of the ravens cawed in protest at him when he left, although the bag at his side was no longer full of goodies for the flock. None followed him, though. Perhaps because despite their protests, they knew he had used up all of the treats that he had brought. Each one was at least one bit of meat heavier than they had been before he got there. He had made sure that each raven got at least a little bit to eat. It was hard, though, since the bigger ones naturally wanted to bully the smaller ones out of their share of the treats.

He raised a hand to the Secui coyote when he approached, yipping in greeting so that he wouldn't startle his clanmate. "Hey, Cartier. What are you doing?" he asked. It seemed to him like the other male was just squinting at nothingness, which was a weird thing to do. A lot of things looked weird from the outside, though. So he figured that Cartier would explain it and then Kalli would understand what was happening.

All image credits available at his Wiki!

Nine

326 Words

Cartier turned his attention inwards at the sound of a call coming from inside of the lands of Inferni. Since he had been staring out at the blank white world for so long it took a few moments for his eyes to adjust so that he could see just who it was. He grinned to see the grown pup coming from where the ravens resided. The boy looked chipper enough so he had to guess that Plagas hadn't bothered him and pecked at his ears as the bird seemed to do with Cartier.

"I'm just patrolling the borders." He answered the question before he asked his own, one that was entirely obvious. "Been to see the ravens?" It was clear that he had since that was where he was coming from and he was carrying a bag with him. "Have you met Plagas yet?" And as he thought about it more he figured that the other might not recognize the name, or even the meaning behind it. "One eyed bird with missing feathers. Mean thing that likes to peck the hand that feeds it." Which was part of the reason as to how the bird had earned its name. That and how it continued to pester Cartier whenever he came near. It actually made him regret having tried to save the bird and having been worried over it.

Cartier tossed his head in the direction that was outside of the borders. "Come and have a look. Tell me what you see." After all the other male had hands to shield his eyes with and so he might be able to spot more than Cartier could as all he could do was to squint in this form. Perhaps the other could spot if there was anything off outside of the borders. Perhaps there were tracks that Cartier was unable to pick up on from his vantage point.

Cartier Infernifideli certa merces

Inferni
DEAD

fireonthehillsidesinner

The boy bobbed his head when Cartier said he had been patrolling. "I do that a lot too. Anythin weird happen?" he inquired in turn. There weren't often very exciting things on the fringes of Inferni, though he often wished there were. It was good to take care of the clan and watch for the rare instances of something strange, but he'd like to have strange things more often. It'd make the border patrol less dull.

His head turned back toward the raven's haunt when asked if he had been there. The young aspiring falconer nodded again and turned back toward Cartier. "Yup." he listened to the older male's question about Plagas. The explanation of what the bird looked like made him frown thoughtfully. "Can't say I saw one like that... definitely none of them pecked my hands. They're usually pretty good about food, but I toss it in the air so they don't really have to get near to my hands at all. Why? Is Plagas mean to you?" he assumed the one-eyed bird was based upon what Cartier had said, but wondered if there was more of a story than that.

He walked toward the older male obediently as he was told to look and see what was on the borders. His nostrils flared and he looked with his eyes, too, trying to figure out if Cartier was testing him or just curious what Kallistos noticed. "I see... woah, a body or something! Is that just me?" he gestured at a lump which appeared to be a something weird. He certainly didn't see that when he normally walked in this area so it couldn't be a rock or other landmark. With the blinding brightness of the snow, it stood out but was hard to figure out exactly from this distance.

All image credits available at his Wiki!

Nine

367 Words

He shook his head when he was asked about their being something weird. "No. So far it just seems to be the same old stuff. There are some tracks but they don't seem to be anything that needs to be worried about. None seem to be anywhere close to Inferni." At least that is what a cursory glance showed him. He didn't see anything that would prove to be life threatening. It was just the same old stuff that needn't be worried about which is why he didn't mind pausing and talking.

"Plagas isn't exactly the friendliest of creatures. He hasn't been since I first found him. He fought from the very first moment that I had picked him up." And it had continued the whole way to go and see Vesper. The bird had turned out to be quite the fighter. He had thought the bird to have been almost dead but the avian creature had certainly proven him wrong. And from that point in time the bird had simply been a pest to him.

The young male watched as the other male moved over to him in order to his not quite command. He waited for the youth to give him his opinion and nodded when the other reported seeing something. Cartier squinted to try and see what the other was pointing at. "I'm not sure..." He spoke the words slowly as he tried to focus on what it was that Kalli seemed to have spotted. "Let's go check it out." Cartier determined and slipped out past the borders in order to go and check out the unusual area that the other had picked up on. He wasn't certain just what it was but he fully intended upon finding out.

He was taking the lead for now because he didn't want to be responsible for the youth getting injured. He figured if it was something unsavory then he would sacrifice himself first before he would let anything else happen. He didn't think that he would be forgiven if he endangered Kalli. If others would manage to forgive him then he certainly wouldn't be able to forgive himself.

Cartier Infernifideli certa merces

Inferni
DEAD

fireonthehillsidesinner

Kallistos nodded his head once, trying to appear serious because it was a serious matter to patrol the borders of the clan and make sure no one interloped on territory owned by Inferni. It sounded like nothing of importance had happened. "Where were the tracks?" he asked so that he could check on them himself next time he was in that area. Not that he wouldn't check everywhere when he was patrolling, but it was good to know what had already been noted. It put a bit of a time stamp on how long it had been there.

"Picked him up? Why?" he was a bit surprised. The birds didn't really like being picked up that he knew, so he assumed it was for a different reason, but he couldn't fathom what. He was unaware, of course, that the bird had been injured.

He waited as Cartier squinted to try and spot what Kallistos had referenced. The younger male waited, though he felt a bit impatient because he was eager to go investigate instead of simply standing around. So as soon as the older male stated that they should go look, Kalli bobbed his head in response and surged forward toward the strange blot that could be a body on the horizon.

Out of instinctive regard, he let Cartier half the lead but only by a bit. He wasn't going to trail behind like a cub. His nostrils flared as they approached, the smell of brine distinct in the air. "Smells like... ocean." he remarked with a faint frown.

All image credits available at his Wiki!

Nine

310 Words; Did you have something in mind for them to find?

Cartier nodded his head in the direction of the old tracks, as he had no hands with which to point at the moment, whose smell had already faded mostly away. "They veer away from us so you don't have to worry about them." At least the older male figured that it was concern that had the boy questioning him on just where to find the tracks. Cartier had only brought them up because they had seemed to be the only thing there to be seen.

"He had looked half dead when I found him so I was taking him to Vesper. Actually he still looks to be half dead." The last bit was said with a chuckle. "He is the one with missing feathers and only one eye." He described the bird in case the other ever spotted the raven so that he would know to stay clear as the raven didn't have the best of temperaments.

When the unknown sighting was neared Cartier looked behind him in order to check on Kallistos and was surprised to find the child so close to him. He was debating about whether or not he should say anything when the youth spoke up instead. The elder coyote turned his attention back to what it was that they were approaching.

"Could have washed up." The male nodded in the direction of the water that Inferni's rivers flowed into. It wouldn't be too far fetched of an idea, or at least Cartier was hoping that he sounded somewhat knowledgeable as he was the adult in this situation.

"What do you think it is?" Cartier slowed his pace the closer they got. He kept his gaze entirely focused upon the foreign sighting. He was expressing caution since it wasn't known what they were facing just yet.

Cartier Infernifideli certa merces

Inferni
DEAD

fireonthehillsidesinner

Drowned wolf was my thought. Kind of a weird thing to find, BUT THE MYSTERY could be interesting? :3

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"I'll keep an eye out for him. Any idea what he likes to eat? Maybe he's just grumpy because no one brings his favorite treats." the greedy flock tended to love having food brought. Sometimes he wondered if they gathered any of their food on their own. Though they were plump enough he figured they must, otherwise there were a lot of coyotes visiting and feeding them.

He was unaware that Cartier was uncomfortable with his nearness, so he didn't correct it at all. Instead, he remained near enough and comfortable himself with how it was. They were clanmates and on good terms; he saw no reason to make sure there were significant spaces between them, though he was also not brushing fur with the other male as they walked.

"Wolf? I think ... do you think someone killed a wolf and just left it there?" he felt his body stiffening a bit, his hackles rising. Was it a threat? Not to them. They were coyotes and their affection for wolves was not exactly something that they were known for around here. So it wouldn't be a threat to them at all, merely another trophy to paint their borders. If someone from their clan had killed it.

If someone outside of their clan had killed it... well, he wasn't sure what that could mean. Though as Cartier had said, it could have just washed up; perhaps it was merely a fool who had drowned and more natural causes than anything. Either way, Kallistos felt a bit unsettled by it.

All image credits available at his Wiki!

Nine

306 Words; Works for me

"Well he likes to peck at my ears and head." And was just an overall nuisance. "Vesper might know better than me what he will eat. He just harrasses me whenever I am around him." Which is why Cartier tried to keep his distance from the bird. He really didn't want to end up being a meal for the raven, or at least that is what it felt like the avian creature was trying to do whenever he was nearby.

"It is possible. Any number of things are possible." Cartier spoke slowly and glanced around the area. He inhaled deep breath to try and take in and sort out any scents that might be foreign. "If someone had then they could be trying to get us in trouble." After all there had always been tension between wolves and coyotes.

"I think we should leave." He spoke up rather quickly and turned away form the corpse. Their scent would already be left behind but he didn't want them caught standing over a dead wolf given how easily it could be misinterpreted. "We should get back and tell Vesper about this. She will know what to do." If it was a trap to get them in trouble then he wanted the leaders to be on alert should something happen.

And if it wasn't then well, it didn't hurt to be cautious. They would do well to be on the lookout for anything suspicious coming from this. There have been attacks on those of the clan before. He just really didn't want this getting back to them but it was altogether possible. After all there would be the scent of coyotes around the dead body of the wolf and they would be leading right back to Inferni.

Cartier Infernifideli certa merces

Inferni
DEAD

fireonthehillsidesinner

"Huh, none of them have ever done that to me." he replied with a shrug. Maybe the bird just stayed away or was sleeping or something. "I'll ask Aunt Vesper about it, then." he was sure the falconer leader would know more about what the entire flock loved. Either that or he'd have to start experimenting himself to figure out what appealed to this particular bird. Just for appeasement of curiosity; if he was to bond with a bird, this didn't sound like the best option.

His ears flattened at the suggestion that they should leave and he backed up a few paces. "Why? Because it's a wolf? We didn't kill it..." he trailed off as he realized that was what it might look like they had done. Although of all coyotes, him and Cartier? What would they do that for? It would have to be for a reason or else they would have left it alone. As far as he knew, the other Inferni male was not overly anti-wolf either, as long as they lived and let live.

He backed up and moved to walk back into the clan's land to find Vesper. "Do you really think someone's trying to entrap us?" they had skulls on their borders, it wasn't like they were known for being nice. Unless... unless that was a pack wolf. That could cause problems. In that case, though, they didn't want it sitting on the borders rotting either for someone to find; that might look just as guilty.